Battling addiction with running: putting the right foot forward

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

You hear about people getting involved in drugs and alcohol and how it can lead to a life that quickly spirals out of control. Unless this type of thing makes contact with yourself or your family, few of us get to see inside these stories and the people involved.

Like life, running has its ups and downs and good days and bad. Running requires putting one foot in front of the other and in the right direction. Put the right work in and you can reap what you have sewn.

Harvest House

Running, addiction and planting the seeds to a new life can be seen at an old school just outside downtown Ottawa. The school was converted into a home for young men, with a field and track behind the centre. The centre provides quiet for young men working through addiction. It also introduces them to running.

Harvest House serves young men between the ages of 16 and 30, rehabilitating the chemically dependent by instilling self-discipline, and to reintegrate them into society by an inner change, many of whom have been unsuccessful with other treatment programs.

The program’s website says, “Thousands of men have come through the doors of Harvest House hoping for a new start. When people care enough to help, you are given the strength to overcome any obstacle. Harvest House is a place where people care.” After speaking to some of the men that have gone through the program, this statement of the program is validated. This is the story of three men who battled their addictions at Harvest House, and used running to help them through their struggle.

Eric, Kodi and Calvin

Three young men sit in front me baring very personal stories of struggle, addiction and crime. There is openness and a willingness to share that reveals their courage.

All three are runners recently ran a half-marathon that raised funds for Harvest House. I had been at the same race and saw them toe the line and wanted to know more about them.

Eric will be 22-years-old in late November. He is slight, laughs easily and seems like someone I know. He tells me of how at age 16 he started with marijuana and then just fell into taking other drugs. Eric’s increasing drug use began to take its toll within a few years, and he dropped out of college. Finding a low-paying full-time job, recreational drug use turned into addiction. Addiction began to rule Eric’s life and led to an incredibly unhealthy lifestyle. An arrest for assault in 2011 brought Eric’s spinning world to a halt.

Kodi reminds me of that big friendly guy we all knew and liked to hang out with in high school. He is 23-years-old, dark-haired and although we are probably about the same height, I feel small next to Kodi. He is a former high school football and hockey player and although he looks fit and I know he is now a runner, he’d still look quite comfortable in a college football uniform. His eyes dance with enthusiasm when we talk about running. Kodi started with alcohol in Grade 10. By Grade 12 Kodi was on his way to becoming an alcoholic. Sports became less important and alcohol took its place. A DUI charge cancelled college plans. In moments of sobriety there a desire to return to school but the bottle dragged Kodi in a different direction. The bottle tipped over in 2011, 260 lb., out of shape, smoking and an alcoholic, Kodi found himself facing jail time for armed robbery.

Calvin is the oldest of the three young men, at age 29. Although he smiles, there is a cautiousness about Calvin. I can can feel him feeling me out and watching me more than the other two. His dirty blond hair sits atop a young face, but Calvin’s eyes show more years than most 29-year-olds. Calvin and I share a connection, as both of us served briefly in uniform ,but our younger years differ greatly. Raised by parents ravaged by drug addiction, Calvin was into drugs and alcohol by  the time he was 11-12 years old, and minor crimes started soon after. By the time he was 15, Calvin received his first criminal charge, the same year his mother died. Drugs, alcohol and crime became a way of life until finally Calvin was brought to his knees in 2011 on the streets of Ottawa. In and out of rehab, a self described junkie and having lost almost 45 lb., Calvin hit rock bottom. Sitting in jail with a caring aunt, Calvin found out his father died of an overdose.

Running

Harvest House has been a safe place and a turning point for Eric, Kodi and Calvin. We sat and shared life stories, but we also sat as three runners. After arriving at the centre all three young men started running as it was part of the program. In the winter, they did laps around a track shovelled out after each snowfall. From spring to fall, nearby quiet trails offer more scenic running for the centre residents.

Eric, who ran cross-country in high school, seems to be the most natural runner. He looks fit and has just returned from a workout as we chat. Kodi oozes new energetic runner. He has lost almost 50 lb., stopped smoking and ran an impressive 1:37 half-marathon after setting a goal to run 1:39. Calvin was forced to run as a member of the military and says running became one of the only things that made him feel better physically and mentally. Calvin says one of his favourite moments was accomplishing the goal of running a full kilometre with his Aunt, who has supported him.

All three are motivated to continue having running play a big role in their lives. There was consensus between all three about how running made them realize that hard work can lead to progress and success. Each of these three runners has gone from little or no running to half-marathons.

Eric is now studying in the engineering program at Carleton University. Kodi is looking to go back to school but is taking life one day at a time. Calvin is thinking of getting into a communications program, but like many others at the house, is being patient about big life changes. One step leads to another – and soon to running. All three seem to be on a good path. Welcome to the running community Eric, Kodi and Calvin. Run on, my friends.

See you on the roads or in the blogosphere.

Do you have a story to tell?

runningwriter@hotmail.com

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER!